Greece, Part Deux

On our second to last day on Naxos, we hired a convertible and set off to tour the interior of the island. Naxos is famous for its marble and also for an alcoholic drink called citron, which is very sweet and potent.

The kids were excited to ride in a convertible for the first time. We aimed in the general direction of the partially restored Temple of Demeter, and wound up stopping by a taverna for lunch. Outside were two former windmills and a donkey. You can just about see the donk's back in the picture below. Click for large.

It was very hot in the interior, away from the meltemi (famous Greek sea breeze). Our next stop was the Temple of Demeter, which was accessed by a walk up a lizard-infested path. We all loved watching the little guys dart here and there, and even saw several HUGE lizards.

This little fella was small/medium size.

After a short hike, we reached the partially-restored temple. It was neat to walk around the site, even though the museum was closed that day. From there, we carried on to Halki, the former capital, and enjoyed ice cream and cool drinks in a taverna across from the local school. Then we drove further up and further in.

We passed this amazing marble quarry. Remember how I said Naxos is famous for its marble? There was SO much of it around! We kept going, in search of the famous Kouros statues...

Aha, a clue.

A short hike past orange groves led us to this, the first Kouros. B has strong memories of visiting one of these statues with his parents, back when he was around E's age. There are three of these amazing, abandoned statues. They date from the 6th-8th centuries BC. The second one we visited required a bit of a hike, but it was picturesque and enjoyable.

After finding the Kouros, we drove back and then went out for a wonderful taverna supper in Agia Anna, where the kids could wander on and off the beach, which was two steps away. The sunset was beyond gorgeous. We could see the island of Paros from where we were.

The next day, we packed up, drove into Chora, and caught the ferry to Santorini. We arrived late afternoon, took a hotel shuttle from the port, up the steep hill into Fira, and immediately stepped out to explore the city.

Not a bad view, eh?

We only had a few nights in Santorini, since 1) It's expensive and 2) It's not as beach-y as other islands, and slightly less child-friendly since, y'know, huge cliffs and all. So the next day, we were up and at'em, having scheduled a tour of the volcano. The volcano was the big reason we came to Santorini, since E is fascinated with them. So the next morning, we boarded the cable cars...

...and boarded our boat, the Odysseus, which took us to Nea Kameni, the volcano.

From the port, it was a 1km hike up a fairly steep and sometimes slippery path. The kids managed it, all the way to the top. E was FASCINATED by the fact that, if you dug a little bit, you'd encounter very, very hot rock. He put his hand near a hole to test this.

At the top, we listened to our guide (the guy in the blue shirt, who was a superbly nice guy!) give a short talk on the history of the volcano and of Santorini/Thira.

On the way down, we saw a hat-eating crater. This crater, which spewed pumice stones in one of its eruptions, had at least five hats inside it! Not ours, mind you. We kept our hands on ours!

 We hiked back down to the Odysseus, which took us around the island to where the magma bubbles up under the sea, feeding a hot springs. B and E jumped off the boat to swim to the hot springs!

(Out of a slight abundance of caution, we packed waterwings for him.) C and I stayed on the boat, mainly because I was feeling slightly under the weather, and also because it was good to have someone stay with the valuables (camera, wallet, etc). In any case, I did this very same swim eight years ago, and you can find those pictures in the very first posts of this blog. Later, C did have a quick dip into the sea but to everyone's amusement, clawed her way to the top of B's head and back up the ladder. That child does not like the cold, and the hot springs don't begin until you have a little swim through the sea first.

Our next stop was the small island of Thirasia, where we had a taverna lunch.

E had souvlaki. Then the children went scavenging on the beach and found pumice stones to float. This made them very excited. (Our boat is one of the three in the background there.)

We could have ridden donkeys to the top of the island, but opted to stay below, where the kids continued to putter around, making a statue from rock, and ultimately partaking in huge ice creams.

I'm afraid this post may be getting a little long, so I'll stop for now. Next up: the conclusion to our time in Santorini, including a mule/donkey ride, and our time in Crete.

Greece 2015, Part One

Home education is going well, though it's going to come to an end in early September. E has a place at an outstanding local school starting in September. We're hoping C will get a place there as well. In the meantime, she'll attend the school around the corner (on the way to E's school). She's finishing up her year of part time Nursery. We were offered full time but I did not accept. They're only young once.

Because we're home educating, travel during term time is possible. (If you try to take a holiday during term time if your child is enrolled in school, the government can, and often does, fine you. Which is ridiculous, but is not the topic of this particular blog post.) So, a few weeks ago, we traveled to Greece.

First stop was Athens. We got there late, went to the hotel across the street from the airport, and spent a few hours there in bed. Flight delays didn't help! Early early, around 5:45am, we got into a cab and headed for Athens. Saw the sunrise from the cab. Our destination was Piraeus, where many ferries call. We were able to board almost immediately, and set up camp in a comfortable area near the front of the boat. Keep in mind we were all running on about 3, maybe 4 hours of sleep, so finding a good area was vital.

The kids were initially Too Excited to snuggle up/chill out, so we went onto deck and watched Athens slip by...

Then, as we drew further into the Aegean, we withdrew indoors for a different perspective:

The ferry ride lasted for a little over six hours, during which E was able to take a short nap. Although it sounds a long time, it was thoroughly pleasant, with good toilets nearby, and several cafes to choose from. Also, one could go out on deck and enjoy the breeze and warm weather. I chatted to a passenger who was on her honeymoon, heading to Santorini. I took her photo, with the Aegean as a backdrop.

The ferry called at Paros, and then there was the excitement of pulling into the port of Naxos. Our first view of the island:

We traversed the gangplank and found a cab. "Welcome on the island!" said the cabbie, who was very surprised to discover that B had been there thirty years ago. He told us the island had been very different then, with his father having been called out to help people push vehicles that had gotten stuck on the dirt tracks that had once passed as "roads" back then. Now, many roads are paved and vehicular access is pretty widespread.

We stayed at a lovely little apartment off the beaten track (almost literally, since the roads nearby were not paved!). It had a small play area that we could see from our patio, and a nice swimming pool. It was also about a 45 second walk to the beach.

Above, E and I test out the pool. It was a nice surprise to see that E is swimming, properly, with absolutely no floaties or assistance. Just a doggy-paddle, but a fairly strong one, and certainly it grew stronger as the holiday progressed.

The beach. Well, what can I say...

...that pictures don't say better? Sandy, warm, light waves, cool ocean, warm sun, mitigating breeze. Happy children in the sunset.

There were many local tavernas to choose from, plus the option of a local market where we could buy light food items and eat in our own apartment. I lost track of how many times I ordered moussaka. Great stuff.

One day, we headed into Naxos Town (Chora) to do a bit of sightseeing. We waited for the bus...

...enjoyed lunch in town...

..and headed off sightseeing around the backstreets of the Old Town.

Along the way, we found some spigots that dispensed cool water, which the children enjoyed splashing over their hot little faces. By popular request, we stopped for ice cream before walking out to the islet that hosts the two thousand year old Portara.

The waves were wilder out here! E points a particularly large one out...about ten seconds before it delightfully soaked all three of them! (Aftermath not pictured. Photographer may have been laughing too hard.)

This post is getting quite long, so I will stop for now. Next time, I will post about our adventures in the interior of the island.

Wales

We went to Wales last week with some friends. Going to slap up a few pics and a quick write-up while I have a small window of time.

Our first stop was Weston-super-mare, a little town on England's east coast. We stayed the night and had a quick visit to the beach. Our hotel had a pool and a sauna. Honestly, we could probably have skipped this step (and saved money) but it was fun to do.

It wouldn't be England without gray skies!

The kids enjoyed a short donkey ride, a trip on the Ferris Wheel, and a jaunt down the pier. You had to pay a quid to get into the pier, which I found off-putting. Especially since, when I put the pound into the automated machine, it didn't work. I climbed over the barrier only to have a man run over and shout at me. So why have automated machines in the first place? Inside, most things cost an arm and a leg, so we didn't stay. Outside, there was a sand sculpture area, but you had to pay to get in, so we skipped that as well. Weston-super-mare: "Traditional" seaside, but expensive. Done it once, will skip in the future.

In the morning, we had breakfast, checked out, and drove to Pembroke Castle. This place was well worth a visit!

Outside the castle, in commemorative wooden seats that celebrated the birth of the latest Prince Henry. (Henry Tudor was born at Pembroke Castle.)

Exploring and surveying.

Lots of places to climb/explore here!

We climbed to the very top of the tallest tower...

...then to the very bottom, where there was a cavern once lived in by Stone Age people. Stereotypical bat squeaks, drips from the ceiling, birds roosting... this place was very cool.

Our next stop was Bluestone in Wales, where we let the kids roam around with our friends' kids of similar ages. There was a great indoor play area with mini golf, plus an indoor swimming complex and a nice "town center" with a playground. Here, E is golfing a bit, with swimming trunks on under his clothes in preparation for a midmorning swim after hole 9 or so.

E drove his sister around a 4x4 "safari track" and is pictured here with the remnants of face paint from their morning's "buccaneer party" which gave the adults two hours of free time.

We also hiked, of course. There was a great Iron Age Fort site nearby.

C did "messy play" with her friend H while the three older kids, including E, did "the Big Four" which included "The Drop," "The Swing" (pictured), high-wires with zipline (below), and climbing.

All in all, it was a wonderful vacation! The kids had a lot of free range fun, made even better by friends being there, too.

We're off to Greece in a few weeks. Home education continues to go well. Everything is just very busy.

Ketchup

It's April already! I'm behind on photos. Here's some backlog.

Lovely afternoon tea at the Landmark to celebrate my birthday.

February snow!

After a history lesson one morning, E and I started putting together a Meccano airplane. 'Scuse the laundry in the background. I was sorting; he was building.

Holding a cacao plant at a Home Ed chocolate-making workshop in Covent Garden.

Making truffles.

Rainy day homemade slide fun.

Winding up his Spitfire plane for a test flight at Kenwood.

C taking a little break from rolling down the hill. E in the background still rolling.

E's second pony ride ever, at a nearby city farm.

C's very first pony ride.

Peck, peck. Who's there? A photobombing goose.

Petting the big horse.

Funfair today on Hampstead Heath. E did an even larger slide twelve times in a row.

Trampoline funhouse.

Bungee trampolining.

Don't mess with this biker girl.

If you squint, you can just about see the kids and me on the roller coaster here.

And that's all for now! It's been busy here.